Pictures from the end of July

I seem to be perpetually behind this year, as the days scoot by so quickly, and half the things I want to accomplish remain undone at the end of the day. I've always had more ideas than time to implement them, but that imbalance seems to be growing. Which is why I'm just now posting garden pictures from the end of July. *sigh*

My garden has thrived on neglect this year, as I've been busy with so many other projects and life events that I've had little time to do more than water, pull one or two weeds, and take pictures. So the garden is a big, messy jungle--but that's OK. Here's the state of the jungle at the end of July. I'll post updated jungle pix from yesterday after I get these up.

Here are wide shots, so I can remember what various parts of the garden looked like as a whole:



























Often my favorite pictures to take are not the wide shots but the macro shots: the single flower in all its delicate detail, the accidental plant combination that charms me (Note: All my plant combinations are accidental. I have the artistic and design ability of a mud brick. So I take pictures to remember what worked so I can do it again.)

Bee in a squash blossom


Zinnias - nature's fireworks



Hollyhocks were one of the first flowers I learned to grow, and I still love them.


This year I made more of an effort to add flowers to my vegetable beds. These marigolds look right at home and add some much-needed color and cheeriness to the kohlrabi, lettuce, onions, and weeds.


More flowers in the veggie beds - borage and sweet peas


And alyssum pouring over the edge of the bed.


My first eggplant! I try to grow something new each year, and this year it's eggplant and ground cherries. I hate eggplant (too slimy!), but the fruits are pretty, and my co-workers like them.


Sacred datura, devil's trumpet, jimson weed... this plant has more names than Prince Charles. It's also native here, and the blooms are breathtaking. The rest of the plant is ugly, but a) the flowers are worth it, and b) you really can't kill it, which is a great advantage here in the land of drying winds, late frosts, and early frosts. It's seeding everywhere, so one of my fall projects will be to move the seedlings to the area where my property borders the road. I'm trying to get more wildflowers out there, and these should do well.


When planting out seedlings, I often forget how big plants get. Those seedlings are so tiny! There's so much bare ground! Then this happens. I do think the Love Lies Bleeding and Hopi Red amaranths look cool next to the Giant Pumpkin Vine That Is Threatening to Smother the Neighborhood though.





Another plant I'm growing for the first time this year: 4 O'Clocks. They seem quite happy here, even in our lousy soil. I'll be interested to see if they winter over.







And one more new plant I'm growing for the first time: marshmallow. I snagged this one at the Coconino County Master Gardeners annual plant sale.


Last year I planted some seeds for Japanese Morning Glory that I got in an online seed trade. They're just as prolific as regular morning glories, only with bigger, prettier blooms.







I hope that wherever you are, your garden is flourishing.